Football Powers Head for Showdown

Published 4:00 am, Friday, November 10, 2000

Important bragging rights are always on the line whenever Peninsula rival high schools Menlo-Atherton and Woodside meet on the athletic field.

But the stakes will be even higherthan normal tomorrow night when the schools' undefeated footballteams square off.

Both teams are 9-0. The game will be held at a neutral site: Redwood City's Sequoia High School. Kickoff is 7 p.m.

Woodside must be considered the favorite. The orange-clad Wildcats are ranked second in most Bay Area high school football polls, behind only prep football juggernaut De La Salle of Concord. Plus, Woodside has won its last five games on the Sequoia field, including last season's Central Coast Section championship game.

Woodside features star running back Michael Porter, the top high school football player in the Bay Area. Porter has gained more than 2,000 yards this season. Woodside has also dominated most of its opponents, winning several games by 20 or more points, including last week's 35-12 thrashing of El Camino.

Menlo-Atherton, meanwhile, squeaked out a 28-21 win over Aragon. But a win is a win. And that's something Bears coach Martin Billings knows a thing or two about. The former Peninsula prep star led San Mateo High to a perfect 12-0 record in 1985.

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Menlo-Atherton is led by star quarterback Steven Haren, who's as dangerous running the ball as he is throwing it. Against Aragon, Haren rushed for 129 yards and three touchdowns.

With high anticipation leading up to tomorrow's matchup, the game carries the aura of a big bowl game or a title bout between two stellar boxers -- minus the trash talk.

"Woodside coach Tony Alanis has done an outstanding job with the program there. These guys are always going 100 percent, they never take plays off," Billings says. "They have that rare combination of size and speed. They're good on offense, defense and special teams. It's hard to find any kind of weakness."

Alanis has equal praise for Menlo-Atherton.

"When Woodside and Menlo-Atherton meet, you have to throw the records out the window. This is probably the first time in 30 years two 9-0 teams have met on the Peninsula. A lot of the players have grown up with each other, there is a lot on the line for these guys. We have been practicing very hard in anticipation for this match-up. Woodside isn't headed into this game thinking we're favorites to win. It will be a dog fight," Alanis says.

Menlo-Atherton knows all about dog fights, as last week's win over Aragon was a battle right from the start. Aragon scored two early touchdowns and Menlo-Atherton was looking at an early 13-0 deficit. But after the second score, M-A's Marque McCray took the ensuing kickoff and sprinted 95 yards for a touchdown.

"Marque really pumped life back into us. Marque is an example of the excellent senior leadership we have," coach Billings says. "There were no speeches or anything said after we dropped behind. The guys knew what had to be done. No one had to be reminded what we had to do."

McCray went on to score one more touchdown.

"Marque is fast and quick off the ball. He's not huge at 5-foot-9, 180 pounds but he's very strong at breaking tackles. Heck, he's got zero bodyfat," Billings says.

Porter, another fat-free footballer, leads the Woodside attack. To preserve the senior for future games, Alanis routinely removes Porter during the second half of blowout games. Alanis estimates that Porter has sat out a game and a half worth of action because of lopsided scores.

"Michael had 149 yards in the first half last week and he didn't play a down in the second half. If he played every minute of action this year I think he would have broken the state rushing record," Alanis said. "But Michael understands the situation. Football is a team game and there is no sense risking an injury that would keep him out of future action."

The scary part is that Woodside doesn't lose much when Porter sits down. His backup, DeShon Meacham, is also an excellent runner and pass catcher, as well as a key linebacker on defense.

Though Woodside has rolled over several opponents this season, the victories have not come without a cost. Several key linemen,including Charlie Parker, Justin Ringheimerer, and Jason Bunnag have sat out games because of injury, forcing Alanis to shuffle his lineup, including using Porter at times in the defensive backfield.

"We've had to switch positions with a lot of guys and do quite a bit of mixing and matching," Alanis says.

"Our success is a credit to those guys. Many of them have played full time for four years. They have tremendous endurance. I think we have the best-conditioned players in the Bay Area," Alanis says.

On the Menlo-Atherton side, McCray has been a pleasant surprise. The senior has enjoyed a fantastic season after getting his varsity career off to a bumpy start a year ago.

"Marque was the most valuable player of the Frosh-Soph team two years ago, but it took a period of adjustment before he fit in with the varsity. He's a guy who has so much ability and enjoyed early success, but last year he realized that it also takes a lot of hard work," Billings says. "He learned you can't just show up and play at this level. It takes conditioning and a lot of commitment. He realized that midway through his junior season. He knows it takes effort and execution and the difference between pain and injury."

Haren, meanwhile, has maintained his reputation of being a crafty mobile quarterback despite a knee injury earlier this season that forced him into a bulky knee brace.

"Steven has been a very steady force," Billings said. "He's studious about watching the films. He's not afraid to speak up during a game and offer his opinion. He's always looking for an advantage and assessing the situation. He's got the knack of finding the open man," Billings says.

Another target for Haren is 5-foot-8, 175-pound wide receiver Ben Warden. Warden caught a touchdown against Aragon last week and he's known for his good hands.

The vibe going around Peninsula prep football circles is that tomorrow's game may be one for the ages.

"There's a special feeling in the air. It's the kind of game where everything comes into focus," Billings says. "The crowd is really into it and the aches and pains don't hurt as much."

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